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More bad news for cheap wine: Domaine du Tariquet loses U.S. importer

The Domaine du Tariquet Classic may join Osborne Solaz, the Hogue fume blanc, and the black label Jaja de Jau as great cheap wines that aren’t any more.

Buy all the Domaine du Tariquet you can, because there won’t be any more in the U.S. until the holidays — if we’re lucky

Domaine du Tariquet Classic, the Frnech white blend from Gascony that is one of the greatest cheap wines of all time, has lost its U.S. importer. That means no more Tariquet until at least the holidays, says its Dallas distributor – if we’re lucky.

And that’s just the beginning of the bad news: There will be a price increase if and when the wine reappears on U.S. store shelves. Currently, the Classic costs $10 to $12; expect it to cost as much as $15. Which, as much as I love the wine, is probably more than it’s worth. By comparison, the Classic costs €8 (about US$9.34) on Amazon UK and goes for €6.60 (about $US7.70 ) in France.

How did we get to this point? It’s just more of the fun and thrills that are part of the post-modern wine business. The French company that makes more than 800,000 cases of the various Tariquet wines (owned by the Grassa family) had a disagreement with its long-time importer, New York’s Domaine Select Estates, and one thing led to another. These spats are becoming increasingly common in the wine business as it consolidates and readjusts itself. A variety of well-known brands, starting with Santa Margherita in 2015, have also changed or lost importers.

What makes the Tariquet so terrific? Why is it a charter member of the $10 Hall of Fame? First, exceptional value for the price, possible because it comes from a part of the world where land is cheap and where the grapes aren’t well known. Second, its consistency – I’ve never had a bottle that wasn’t worth drinking, and I’ve been drinking it for at least a decade. Third, and I’m quoting the winery website because it’s spot on: “Very refreshing at any time of the day, as an aperitif or with starters, seafood or fish. … Always have a bottle in the fridge door, just in case.”